Biscuit Beef Empanadas are a soft, pillow-like version of regular empanadas. Using buttermilk milk biscuits as the base, instead of a crunchy pie crust or pastry wrappers, creates these mouthwatering appetizers or small bites. For a healthier recipe, switch out the ground beef for ground turkey. This recipe is a perfect party platter or appetizer because they are bite size, finger food that will have you coming back for more!
Since these are home-made empanadas, you will have to get your hands dirty, flattening the dough and creating little oval shapes. Also, a great activity to do with kids. Each empanada comes out different and imperfectly perfect.
These biscuit beef empanadas yield 16 empanadas, about 2 per person. You could also make 32 mini empanadas, by breaking each biscuit into quarters if you were serving a big group of people. There are 8 biscuits in a package, each biscuit divided into 4 equal pieces, making 32 mini empanadas.
Tasty and Easy Biscuit Beef Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1 package jumbo buttermilk biscuits - 16 ounces
¼ pound ground beef (minced beef)
½ cup green pepper (green capsicum) - chopped
½ cup black beans - drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder (chilli powder in British English)
½ teaspoon cumin
½ cup yellow onion - about 1/3 of a large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
1 tablespoon ketchup (tomato sauce Australia and UK)
¼ cup salsa
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Start by cooking the ground beef in a skillet and discarding grease.
- Once the ground beef is browned, add bell peppers, black beans, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, onion, garlic, ketchup, salsa, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for a few minutes until everything is thoroughly mixed and the peppers and onions begin to soften. Turn the stove off and set mixture aside.
- Next, divide the eight biscuits in half, leaving a total of 16 pieces. On a cutting board, start to roll a biscuit piece into an oval shape, spoon out about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon beef mixture onto the oval and fold over and completely seal the edges together. I used a little bit of flour to help roll the dough out and prevent it from sticking to my cutting board. Then take a fork and press all along the edges. Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat fifteen more times, until you’ve used all the biscuit pieces. You may have some beef mixture leftover.
- Lastly, whisk one egg and one tablespoon of water in a bowl and lather on the top of the empanadas.
- Bake at 375°F for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown.
